"Study in Red" by Michael Thompson

Chicago-based artist Michael Thompson creates unique compositions of abstract painted elements and a collage of vintage Asian ephemera—including fragments of fabric, scrolls, drawings, and books collected during his travels. In a departure from his split bamboo kite series, this work on stretched canvas entitled "Study in Red" layers textured paper and silken fragments within a rosy red color story. A gradient of red to pink sweeps across the composition, interrupted by a panel of Japanese silk depicting a whimsical scene of women clad in grand attire surrounded by a labyrinth of folding byobu screens. A celebration of color, we love the way this work immediately enlivens subdued interiors.